Níall McLaughlin
Architects

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM PROGRESS

MARCH 2017

Below are some from the Natural History Museum site showing the scaffold ‘tunnel’ going up at the Museum. This is the framework required to lift, manipulate, and move the blue whale skull into position in a few weeks.

Though the main hall has had a sperm whale in it before, this was only around 15m long. In contrast, the blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed, is about 30m long once assembled.

Unfortunately, due to the various extensions and alterations to the Museum over time, the skull can only come in via the front doors. And – much like a very large, very heavy, very valuable sofa – it’s a case of squeezing it in at strange angles.

STIRLING PRIZE SHORTLIST EVENING AT RIBA

SEPTEMBER 2013

Niall McLaughlin took part in a live discussion evening at the RIBA, chaired by the Observer architecture critic Rowan Moore. The event brought together the six practices shortlisted for this year’s Stirling Prize, to reflect on their individual entries and to participate in a wider conversation about British architecture. The panel discussed the stories behind the projects and took questions from the audience.